RedlandsSymphony

WEBER 1786-1826

Orchestration

2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, strings

Program Notes

Carl Maria von Weber’s opera, Oberon, has a unique history. Weber, a German national, was commissioned by Britain’s famed Covent Garden (the theater that later would be home to numerous premieres of Benjamin Britten) for a new opera in English. First, Weber had to learn to write and speak English to facilitate the collaboration among the various British artists and writers involved. Oberon is a mix of spoken dialogue and singing, much like Mozart’s The Magic Flute. The overture for the opera was finished in London, just a few months before its premiere in 1826.

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BEETHOVEN 1770–1827

Orchestration

soprano voice, flute, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, strings

Program Notes

Beethoven’s Ah! Perfido did not enjoy an auspicious beginning. He was engaged to conduct the premiere in Vienna near the end of 1808. Unfortunately, he and the soprano had problems they were unable to resolve. She refused to perform with him conducting, so the presenters scrambled to find a replacement. They settled on a very young, fairly inexperienced soprano who inadvertently massacred the piece. Fortunately, the work survived this initial setback and has become a staple in the repertory of dramatic works for sopranos and orchestras.

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DVORAK 1841–1904

Orchestration

soprano voice, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, english horn, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, harp

Program Notes

This beautiful, pleading, and almost reverent work is from the first act of Dvořák’s opera, Rusalka. In this Czech version of The Little Mermaid, water sprites are substituted for mermaids. The opera centers on Rusalka, a water sprite who has fallen in love with a human prince.

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STRAUSS 1864–1949

Orchestration

soprano voice, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, harp, strings

Program Notes

Heinrich Hart’s poem, Cäcilie, serves as the text for this work. It was penned for the poet’s wife, whose name, not surprisingly, was Cäcilie. Of slightly more surprise, Strauss set this poem to music the day before his wedding to Pauline de Ahna, a soprano of some renown at the time.

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BRAHMS 1833-1897

Orchestration

2 flutes (2nd doubles piccolo), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, triangle, strings

Program Notes

Symphony No. 4 in E minor was Brahms’ last work in this form. Together with his previous symphony, it completed a pairing similar to his first two symphonies. In each case the works were composed at nearly the same time, but exhibit contrasting moods. Additionally, the minor key of the last symphony symmetrically completes the cycle that began with the minor key of the first symphony. The somewhat somber tone of Symphony No. 4 ushered in the style which characterized many of Brahms’ mature later works.

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Co Boi Nguyen, an Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Redlands School of Music, was named Assistant Conductor of the Redlands Symphony in July of 2006. Ms. Nguyen serves as the principal conductor of the University of Redlands Orchestra and Opera.

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Emily Collins has spent more than half of her young life preparing for this moment. Starting with classical voice lessons at the age of 12 and now at 25, as she prepares for her solo debut with the Redlands Symphony, Emily can’t imagine a life without music: “Whether it be spreading music through teaching or performing, I always plan to make it one of the most prominent aspects of my life,” Emily says.

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